Light at the End of the Tunnel?

Photo credit here: flickr

I'm beginning to think there is a light at the end of the tunnel. And I'm gonna explain why.

Since June 2, 2005 (when my back completely went out on me), I've been in misery. Now, thankfully, it hasn't always been constant misery. In the beginning it would come and go. Ebb and flow. It would get really bad, and then it would subside, and work itself out. So back then my little bit of light would be the knowing that in time it (the misery) would subside. It might take a few days or a few weeks, but it always did subside. So, as the years have worn on, my little bit of light has lessened and lessened. The misery has definitely increased. And that has taken a huge toll on me, for sure. Physically (lack of exercise due to pain, which has resulted in weight gain, stiffness, achiness, constant discomfort and pain) and emotionally (can you say grumpy, with a capital G?) Anyway, for the last several months it (the misery) has gotten really bad. I kept waiting for it to subside, but to be honest this time around there has been no relief. Just a constant feeling of miserable-ness! The word that really comes to mind is dread. I dread going to bed at night, and then I dread getting up in the morning. Because there's never any relief.

A few months back, Roy had found a chiropractor that he went to and he just swore by him. He was referring anyone and everyone he knew to this guy. I've always believed in chiropractic, but in the last year or so even that hasn't helped. Really all the twisting, adjusting and cracking was so extremely painful, and really didn't seem to do anything but make me worse. So, I just kind of put Roy's guy out of my mind. Then, for Shawn's birthday, Roy and Joan had written in his card that they would pay for two visits for Shawn to check this guy out. Well, I asked if they would mind if I went once, and then Shawn could go the second visit. And they of course said "no problem".

On Monday I went for my first visit. Check out Dr. Russo's website here: Spinal Health Institute. Do you see the funky little disc pump on there? Yeah, he uses that. There is no twisting of any kind. He spent over an hour, examining each vertebrae, starting at the head, side of face, neck and all the way down the spine. You start laying face down, and after he checks each vertebrae, if it's needed, he'll adjust each step of the way. It was actually very tiring. Lay on your belly, raise right leg, raise left leg, okay sit up, and he would adjust something. So when he first started using the disc pump I was actually kind of giggling (to myself). I'm thinking "there's no way in hell this is doing anything". It's completely pain-free, and it really doesn't feel like much more than a tapping. I truly didn't think it would help in the least! After all was said and done, he had done something like 23-25 different adjustments. All the while, he is also explaining how each vertebrae's nerves are somehow connected to different parts of the body. As an example: T6 is directly linked to the stomach and esophagus. He had spent some time adjusting my T6, and said I may feel some indigestion later, but not to worry. That would just mean that he had freed something up. Of course, I'm thinking: yeah, whatever. Right after lunch, I had terrible indigestion. Keep in mind, I haven't had indigestion or heartburn of any kind for over 10 years! It subsided by the evening. Another example: C2 correlates to sinuses, eyes, optic nerves, auditory nerves, tongue, forehead and heart. Tuesday morning, I was completely congested, and then it went away. Weird.

So, back to the appointment. After the exam, he explained that applying ice is a must. They had these mega-nice, super cold ice packs (yeah, I bought one!) They set me up on a nice recliner, and I iced my shoulder and lower back for about 20 minutes. I ended up being at their office for 2 hours! Crazy! Anyway, I left with my 2nd, follow-up appointment scheduled for Tuesday morning (the very next day).

Now keep in mind, when I left there, I was still thinking there is no way this is going to help me. Please ..... how could it, right? I wasn't even sore. Well, by noon, I was sore as heck. My left arm (he worked a lot on my left shoulder/side) was completely limp. I felt like I'd lifted a dumbbell for an hour straight. I had no strength in it. And the rest of me? Oh lord ... I was so sore! I followed his instructions and iced everything during the rest of the day, took a motrin, drank tons of water and went to bed. I had a terrible night sleeping! I woke up yesterday (Tueday) feeling even more miserable than when I'd gone to bed. I really wasn't very happy to be going back for more. Haha. But I did.

He basically went through the entire process again. And I was just physically drained by the end of it. He was happy to report that he only had to do about 1/2 the amount of adjustments, which was a huge improvement (so he said). So, I'm still thinking, "Come on. What can this be doing? Seriously?" Aside from feeling pretty flippin' miserable, I just didn't know! So, here's the kicker: he goes on to say that by day's end I'll feel better. He's 100% sure of it. So sure of it that if I'm not, I can come back for a free re-check later that day or even the next day. I'm thinking. Cool. I just might take him up on that! He instructs me to start taking 1500mg glucosamine (helps the joints heal), 2000mg Vitamin C, 1000 IU's Vitamin D3 and CalMag Citrate by Nature's Plus (supposedly proven to help relaxation for better sleep). Drink lots of water, avoid diet products that contain aspertaime (decreases joint healing), and keep using the ice pack.

And here's my light at the end of the tunnel: it's working. I don't know how, but it's honestly working. Aside from a very slight kink in my neck, my lower back and overall body feels ... dare I say ... fabulous! I don't know how. But it is truly working. I have another appointment in 10 days. I will keep you posted!

Happy Birthday Michael!

Hope you have a great day!

Amazing Show.

I made this nifty little, postcard-type thing for the boys to pass out at their shows. I think they liked them. They are actually the size of a 4x6 picture, and I had them printed like pictures so it seemed kind of neat to be passing out pictures to their fans, and other interested people. I thought if nothing else the girlies would get a kick out of hanging up the picture in their room on a bulletin board or something. (Okay, that's what I'm envisioning anyway). Haha. Who knows? Maybe they go right on the floor or in the trash, but I refuse to believe that. :)

So, the show ... pretty cool. With a capital "C". The boys presold 110 tickets. And this on a night when all the high schools in town were having their very first football games of the season. That's impressive. Another band, A Lot Like Vegas, also presold about 100 tickets. So 210 presales that I'm aware of and there were 4 other bands, including Mozart Season, the Subtle Way, Man Up! Nancy, and Look Alive. So the place was really, really busy. Okay, I'm gonna say packed. There were alot of people there! They played third. A perfect time to play, right there in the middle. Let's see ... they did a new intro. They did their sound check, left the stage and the lights were turned off. Then the song Final Countdown began to play and the crowd went crazy. I know you know the song. It has a lot of dramatic instrumental in the beginning. Anyway, they re-entered the stage, and again the crowd goes wild. I'm not gonna lie. I got goosebumps, for sure. Lastly, Jeremiah came onto the stage, and as he's talking to the crowd, he asks that they all chant "All Hail the Vale" and on the count of three they surely do, and they go right into the ending of their actual "Intro" song and then right into Eyes of Desire. Very, very cool. Aside from the awful heat, it was a mighty fine show.

This will, definitely, be a loooong one (and heavy on the pictures, too).

So, I'm needing to back way up here. Say about two weeks. I have been super swamped, and blogging just hasn't been happening. Well, I'm going to make up for that now. So grab yourself a nice cold drink, and get comfy. This is gonna be long.

8/27/2009 - Farewell to a friend. Yes. Sadly, CV decided to let Jordan (Coo-J) go. Long story short: they think the world of Jordan. He is very talented, and musically inclined. He has been an asset to CV. Austen and he are just as close as can be (like brothers, really), but some issues had arisen with scheduling of shows (Jordan can't play on Sundays) and the ability (or lack thereof) to get to practices consistently. Previously, they had found a bass player who was available to fill in for a huge Sunday show (Abigail Williams). He had come to a few practices, learned the songs immediately, and even added his own touch, and then the show was cancelled and he ended up not filling in. No biggie there. But even though this happened, he continued to really promote CV, even going so far as to sell several tickets for their upcoming show at Club Retro. Such a nice kid. Anyway, CV just had to make the hard decision that it was time for a change, and so that is what they did. So, it is with a heavy heart that we say goodbye to Coo-J. He will be missed, of course.
Please say hello to Josh (aka Mosh). Yes, as always there must be a nickname, although I do believe he had this one before joining CV. He's right there in between Milo and Will. This was CV's first show at a venue in Stockton called the Burning Bush. (Picture credits: James Grant Photography).

Yeah, I love me some CV drummer. Can you tell? There were more cool shots of Austen, but I thought I'd stop at three for the blog post. 8/29/2009 - After a lengthy process, Darcy arrived for a fun visit. Of course, I had to take her to Petroglyph to paint my traditional plate. She started out doing a pirate theme. Bailey assured her that she could draw a ship, but then Darcy quickly realized that Bailey was really just messing with her, so she had to go a different route with her plate. She settled on a tropical theme. Of course, I got a great kick out of this. My plate (that I painted back in 2004) is also a tropical theme. I didn't let her in on this little tidbit until she was finished. Haha.

You can see a bit of her plate there (the sand). Once Bailey blazed through her project, she was happy to help Auntie out (minus a ship, of course).

This is Darcy's finished plate, a few days later. So pretty, and detailed!

Bailey decided on a turtle box. She loves all things "turtle", so this seemed fitting. You can see it there on the left. And can you see the pirate stencil on the right? Yeah, as mentioned ... that went right out the window.

That big 'ol mug towards the front? That's mine. Well, it's Shawn's, but I painted it for him. He's been wanting his very own coffee mug for work. Can you say "beer stein coffee mug"? Yeah, it's that big. It just might hold a whole pot of coffee. I wonder if his co-workers will appreciate that?

So here's Bailey's finished turtle box. Dang, dang cute, don't you think? I just love the finished products. It's always a fun surprise to go pick them up.

Here's the finished beer stein. I mean, coffee mug. Is it too over the top? I tried to go with manly blue colors, but couldn't help but adding some swirls and dots. Hey, it's better than what Darcy suggested ... writing I Love You, Babe! all over it. I did want him to at least use the darn thing. Haha.

9/3/2009 - Darcy headed home. We sure had a great visit. Lots of talking, eating (darn eating ... I despise you), Time Traveler's Wife while the kids were in school. Good stuff. And we miss her already!

I love the look on Darcy's face.

Love you, Darc!~

9/5/2009 - This should have been a blog post all its own. Sorry Aaron! Auntie spaced out, and was super busy the last few weeks. Well, this dude had a birthday. He's a sweetie, and I hope he had a great day. Sure wish we could have been there!

9/7/2009 - Yeah, yeah. This is an old photo. But I had to make note that Bailey just had her 1-year Anniversary on blogger! Go Bailey. She has managed to post 63 times! Of course, she hasn't updated it much lately, but it's still a milestone in my book.

9/8/2009 - Finally got around to getting the estimate on my car. Damn car. Damn car insurance. Such a racket. Anyway, the total? $973.47. And of course we'll be paying $500 for our deductible. Plus the insurance rates are going up (thanks, Austen ... haha).

9/9/2009 - I had grand plans to take 9 pictures on the 9th day, of the 9th month, in the 9th year. Kind of like last year on 8/8/08. Last year, I took 1 picture of the kids (in front of a little water feature at Prime Wok). This year? Not even one. The day completely slipped by me. So, in honor of 9/9/9, I give you this amazing photo by Dad. Love it.

Well, I do believe that's about it for now. Stay tuned. There might be more in the near future. Haha. Just kidding.